When 25-year-old Conor Rhatigan decided to open his own menswear boutique, Castle & Drury, on Castle Market in Dublin 2, he had some experience under his belt in spite of his youth. As a child, he'd often found himself in the stockroom of his mother Marie Rhatigan's fashion boutique, Wit's End, in Ranelagh.
"I always had a big interest in fashion, my family all have a big interest in clothes." That includes his father, property developer Francis Rhatigan as well as his mother and two sisters. "He buys here, he's loyal," says Conor, who opened his shop in September 2014.
He studied business and entrepreneurship in IADT in Dún Laoghaire – "It was a relatively new course and I got a lot out of it; it was very practical, it suited me" – before heading off to New York shortly after college.
"I did an internship in the office of a construction company, worked in bars for a bit, then went to work in the Reed Space, a little shop in the hip East Village," he says.
The shop, called a “lifestyle boutique” in New York magazine, is what inspired Conor to open his own place in Dublin: “I liked the way they dealt with customers, it’s very friendly, intimate.”
Back in Dublin, he felt there weren’t a lot of independent boutiques for men: “I wanted to create a boutique for me.”
He got some investment and a small stocking loan from AIB. Rent and rates in what's known as Dublin's "Creative Quarter" aren't cheap, but the location is good: Castle & Drury is on Castle Market between Drury Street and South William Street, opposite Costume. He set about stocking new brands, building brand awareness.
His shops stocks labels such as YMC from London and six from Copenhagen, labels such as Soulland, Wood Wood and Han Kjobenhavn. He also stocks Danish footwear such as Garment Project. He worked with PR firm Yellow Machine and promotes the shop mainly on social media.
One of the hard things about setting up as new shop is paying for stock upfront: he keeps stock low and can reorder quickly. He has one employee, Kilian, a friend. He doesn’t take pay yet himself, living off savings from previous jobs, but hopes by autumn 2016 to be making a profit. It demands long hours, as the shop is open six days a week from 10am- 6pm, and until 8pm on Thursdays – and will be open seven days a week up to Christmas.
His customers range in age from mid-20s upwards – “There’s no age limit. A lot are professionals looking for casual wear, and a lot of tourists stumble across us. Our shirts cost from €100 to €180, jeans from €135 to €175. Our most expensive item is a woollen trenchcoat for €475.”
In spite of his background and his college degree, Rhatigan has had a lot to learn: “There’s a lot of learning on your feet – the account side, doing VAT returns every two months, is scary. You think you’ve thought of everything, then something pops up. And it can be lonely running your own business; you learn from mistakes. Some brands I thought would fly out, I got them wrong.
But at the end of his first year in business, he’s upbeat and confident. “This time next year, I hope to make a profit.”
